Shloka 24
द्रोणकर्णों महेष्वासावेतौ पार्षतसात्यकी । पज्चालांश्चैव सहितौ जघ्नतु: सायकैर्भृशम्,“कुन्तीनन्दन! द्रोणाचार्य और कर्ण इन दोनों महा-धनुर्धरोंने एक साथ होकर धूृष्टद्युम्न, सात्यकि और पांचालोंको अपने बाणोंद्वारा अत्यन्त क्षत-विक्षत कर दिया है
sañjaya uvāca |
droṇakarṇau maheṣvāsāv etau pārṣatasātyakī |
pāñcālāṃś caiva sahitau jaghnatuḥ sāyakair bhṛśam ||
Sañjaya said: Drona and Karṇa—both mighty archers—together struck down Dṛṣṭadyumna (the son of Pṛṣata), Sātyaki, and the Pāñcāla warriors, grievously wounding them with a fierce shower of arrows. The report underscores the ruthless momentum of battle, where prowess and alliance can overwhelm even celebrated champions, raising the ethical tension between martial duty and the devastation it inflicts.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, combined force and skill can rapidly turn the tide, intensifying the moral strain of kṣatriya-duty: victory pursued through martial excellence simultaneously produces severe suffering, forcing reflection on the cost of dharma enacted on the battlefield.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Droṇa and Karṇa, acting together, unleash a heavy arrow-attack that grievously wounds Dṛṣṭadyumna, Sātyaki, and the Pāñcāla troops.